


In a Lifetime, a Long Time Ago

by Lalikaa



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 00:01:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29322855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lalikaa/pseuds/Lalikaa
Summary: Kei and Tadashi dance through the years.
Relationships: Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Comments: 8
Kudos: 47





	In a Lifetime, a Long Time Ago

**Author's Note:**

> I feel ribbons on the inside  
> I feel ribbons on the inside  
> Pull them out  
> I've seen heaven in the moonlight  
> I've seen heaven in the moonlight  
> Blow it out  
> Yeah, turn around  
> 'Cause the more I get to know you  
> Well, the more I feel I knew you  
> In a lifetime, a long time ago  
> -"Old Soul" by Saint Motel

Their first dance is painfully awkward. Long limbs tangle at odd angles, and Kei just isn’t quite sure where to put his hands. _Like, honestly - where are you supposed to put them_? 

Kei is impossibly insecure with a fundamentally rigid personality. He doesn’t know what Tadashi sees in him, or _why_. 

He truly doesn’t understand any of it, he realizes. Tadashi moves closer, and Kei sends a silent prayer up to the heavens to guide him through this. 

Unfortunately, his prayer goes unanswered, and all that’s left is himself, Tadashi, and the quickly closing space between them. 

Tadashi takes Kei’s hands in his, and Kei suddenly believes that maybe someone up there _is_ listening after all. Tadashi looks at him, questioning, silently asking if this is alright. 

Kei’s throat tightens, and his heart races wildly. He cannot speak. All he can do is stiffly nod.

The music on Kei’s phone switches to a slower song, the tune wafting gently along in a rhythmic melody that fills his bedroom. 

Kei feels silly, slow-dancing like this, but then Tadashi rests his head on Kei’s shoulder, and maybe this isn’t so bad, after all.

Maybe they can stay like this a while longer. 

\-----

A beach. Pale yellow moonlight. Waves that caress the sand. It makes such a picturesque scene. 

Now add two extremely tipsy college students.

The moonlight casts an ethereal glow on Tadashi, and Kei feels such a swarm of emotions he isn’t even sure if all of them are real. 

The taste of vodka still burns on his tongue, but nothing burns more than the bubble of warmth he’s carrying in his chest. 

“Tadashi,” his voice is slurred and slightly mumbled, a far cry from his usual clipped tone. “Did you know... did you? Did you know that the brightest... the brightest planet… it’s Venus.”

Kei wasn’t quite sure why this was of the utmost importance to tell Tadashi in that moment, but his brain didn’t seem to care. And so he continues to ramble:

“I think it’s like... like, it’s not right that Venus is so important like that. And everyone just _knows_ Saturn, because... because they know Saturn because of the rings. But- but it just isn’t fair to - to Mercury. Because Mercury is a good planet, it’s a really good one. But no one ever talks about that.” 

Kei keeps tripping over his words, tripping over their meaning - desperately trying to _find_ any meaning at all. Why is he talking about this...?

Tadashi responds with a loud hiccup.

“Mars is cool too, but everyone- but everyone likes Mars. And you know-”

“I think _you’re_ cool,” Tadashi interrupts, his voice both wobbly and bright.

“You’re- you’re cooler,” Kei admits. 

Tadashi’s face blurs in front of him suddenly, yet grows more prominent, taking up a larger portion of his scope of vision. The two of them are close, so close. Kei can see the stars reflecting in Tadashi’s eyes and feel the ghost of Tadashi’s breath on his neck.

As they sway gently back and forth, Kei discovers that the two of them don’t need music to dance. 

And at this moment, he also discovers that he is so deeply in love with Tadashi that he cannot stand it. 

So, with the stars and moon as witnesses, Kei kisses Tadashi with everything he has. 

When Tadashi responds by breaking into a fit of unstoppable giggles, Kei isn’t quite sure what to do. So he kisses him again, which only makes Tadashi laugh harder. Kei finds himself laughing too, and they stumble into each other, holding onto each other in a desperate attempt not to fall. 

The ground is close and far away all at the same time, and Kei can still hear Tadashi’s faint hiccups of laughter. 

Suddenly, Tadashi says, “I love you so much, Tsukishima Kei!” 

So it’s really not Kei’s fault that they’ve both fallen into the sand now. 

Tadashi is laughing hysterically again, and Kei’s brain is so muddled he finds himself, once again, not knowing what to do. He tries to sit up and find that it’s simply too complicated. Instead, he rolls on his side to face Tadashi, who is still giggling.

“I can’t believe I actually said that to you. Sorry, Tsukki,” Tadashi breathes out. “But- but you know? Maybe I’m not sorry. Maybe- Maybe I mean it.”

Kei scooches closer and pecks Tadashi on the nose, if only because it’s the most convenient spot on his face at the time. “I mean, I mean it too,” he says, as firmly as he can muster, before then asking; “Aren’t you going to- going to laugh again?”

Tadashi blinks.

“It’s not like you’re- you know- obligated to love me, but I-” Tadashi interrupts Kei with a tender kiss on the lips, and Kei forgets how to function altogether. 

“We’re bad at words right now,” Tadashi decides, standing up. “But do you want to dance with me again?”

Kei looks at Tadashi’s outstretched hand. He takes it.

“I do.”

\-----

It’s a day so swept up in wonder that Kei can barely believe it’s real. He and Tadashi have read their vows, drank their sake, and cut their cake. It’s the after-party now, and they’ve received congratulations from far too many people to count. 

He’s getting a hearty slap on the back from Bokuto when a song plays on the speaker, and suddenly he’s 15 years old again. 

It’s the same slow song that played on his phone over a decade ago, that night where Tadashi rested his head on Kei’s shoulder, and everything in the world had melted away.

Tadashi appears before him, grinning widely, taking Kei’s hand. 

In the center of the dance floor, Kei still can’t take his eyes off of Tadashi. He looks incredibly dapper, even though he’s sweaty from all the dancing.

Tadashi grins at him and puts his hand on Kei’s waist, still holding the other hand. Kei places his hand on Tadashi’s shoulder; they are no longer the awkward teens they once were.

As they sway back and forth in time to the music, Kei ponders on how he’s spent over half of his life with Tadashi now. How is it that time has felt so fast and yet so slow. From childhood friends to lovers, Kei can’t think of anyone else he’d rather spend the rest of his days with.

“What are you thinking about?” Tadashi murmurs. “You look so pensive.”

“Thinking about you, about us,” Kei replies softly. 

Tadashi squeezes Kei’s hand just a little more firmly. 

“I like that there’s an ‘us,’” Tadashi smiles.

“I think,” Kei says slowly, “I think we’re best when we’re together.”

Tadashi kisses him then, soft and sweet before saying, “I think I have to agree.”


End file.
